


Opulence is the End

by ASummerBreeze



Category: Legion (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-30
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 15:45:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14139243
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASummerBreeze/pseuds/ASummerBreeze
Summary: Melanie Pugh, a free-spirited medical student, never thought she would get swept away by any man, much less a wealthy mutant. The entire course of her life changes from what she's planned when she meets Oliver Bird at a music festival. Some sexual content.





	1. Chapter One

The first time he noticed her, she was just another girl at another festival. The slim, bright eyed blonde in the little crown made out of pink and white flowers.

She didn’t catch his eye immediately, he noticed her and went about chatting with Cary about the band that was about to come in. And then he’d caught sight of her and her friend dancing halfway through the set. Golden hair swinging around her shoulders, slow, rhythmic movement of her hips. She was much more graceful than the brunette next to her, who couldn’t dance to save her life.

It was five or six minutes before he realized he was staring at her, and the only reason he came to his senses was because she had clocked him. Their eyes met, and she leaned to whisper to her friend without pulling her gaze from him. The next thing he knew, she was walking across the grass towards them, and he quickly shooed Cary off to go get them drinks.

He noticed the way her stride slowed when she realized he was setting them up to have a conversation one on one, but ultimately, she braved the unknown and came over anyway. He immediately decided that he liked that about her. “Hello,” His voice warm, jolly, even. Interest and amusement shining in his dark eyes, and while he had originally planned to say more, something smooth about her dancing, he chose not to at the last minute.

First impressions were everything, after all.

“Hello,” She offered in return, her nervous little smile flashing white but imperfectly situated teeth. That was the second thing he liked about her right away, his own front teeth were slightly gapped. So the fact that her bottom row was a little shifted was endearing to him. Cute. Her dress was a pale blue, knee length, without a pattern printed on the fabric. In a crowd of girls trying to stand out, she clearly wasn’t interested in being anything extraordinary.

The funny thing was, it just made her all the more beautiful in his eyes.

“My friend went to procure refreshments,” He finally managed to say after staring at her another solid two minutes. “Yours can come over too, if she’d like.”

“Oh, she’s actually here with someone else too. A guy. So. I don’t think he’d be too pleased.” She explained, ducking her gaze as she chuckled softly. “So, do you make a habit of staring at perfect strangers?”

“Not at all,” He mused, lips turned up in a warm little grin, eyes sparkling with mischief as he continued. “I only ever stare at the absolute most beautiful woman on scene. Are you here with someone as well? Some fellow?”

Just like that, she was bright pink. Pale features heated to a deep blush and she laughed softly, her nerves getting the better of her. “No. Not with any fellow.” A pause as she collected her thoughts before she looked at him again. “You have an accent.”

“So do you.” He countered.

Her blush returned, having not expected that, but she supposed he was right. “Yes, but I mean, not an American accent. Where are you from?”

“All over,” A shrug, and spotting Cary returning out of the corner of his eye, Oliver grinned broadly, side stepping the question as he reached to retrieve the disposable cup from his friend. “Cary, you’ve returned just in time. May I introduce you to my new friend, uh, sorry I actually didn’t catch your name, darling.”

The blonde laughed a little, brows raising in surprise when the other man offered her the other drink, accepting with a nod. “Thanks. And you didn’t ask for my name until just now. It’s Melanie.”

“Melanie,” Oliver repeated, letting those three glorious syllables roll off of his tongue. “Yes, you look like a Melanie. Just as lovely as any other Melanie out there. Do you like beat poetry, Melanie?”

She sipped from the cup, some concoction in it that made her wince and gulp past the burn of it. Way too strong, but it would do the trick. Lifting her gaze to him again, she coughed slightly to be sure her voice didn’t give as she replied. “I don’t think I know very much.”

Cary chuckled and shook his head, knowing what was coming, and Oliver was immediately sent into the particular poem he had in mind.

“Down by the salley gardens

   my love and I did meet;

She passed the salley gardens

   with little snow-white feet.

She bid me take love easy,

   as the leaves grow on the tree;

But I, being young and foolish,

   with her would not agree.”

Another sip as she listened and this time, her face wasn’t only because of the alcohol. “I didn’t…realize that Yeats qualified as beat poetry.” She noted that Cary looked impressed by her pointing that out, but he didn’t pass comment. The other man didn’t look anywhere near miffed.

“Darling, anything can be beat poetry if you know how to recite it!”

“Ah, well, like I said, I really don’t know much about it, mister uh…”

“Oh,” His expression softened, his smile was gentle now, a genuine glow to his expression. He pressed his hand over his heart to indicate himself before he responded to her. “Oliver. Please.”

“Oliver,” She repeated, unable to keep from smiling softly. Coming to this concert she had not expected she would be meeting anyone here, much less, a character quite like this man. He seemed so cool and poised, almost like he was cool everywhere he went. She supposed people like that existed, people that everyone who met them were drawn to.

And damn, she wanted so badly to seem equally as magnetic suddenly.

Little did she know, she had him wrapped around her pinky already and then some, hearing her say his name brought a whole new smile to his face, and Cary watched them with amusement, a small smile pulling the corner of his mouth.

What a couple of idiots.

“Hey,” He muttered in response to the voice pulling at the back of his mind before turning to wander off a little so he didn’t startle the girl. “Let him have this, after everything that’s happened he deserves that much!”

Oliver vaguely realized that his friend had left them again, but he was too preoccupied with deciding on his next move. “You know,” He began, smile never fading. “As much as I love this band, I think it’s time for a little supper. You should come along, that is uh, if your friends won’t mind.”

Blue eyes widened a little in surprise at the offer, and Melanie turned to look over to where her companion was. The other woman was very much busy with her date’s tongue halfway down her throat, and she smiled sheepishly before looking at him again. “I doubt that she’ll mind. I could definitely eat.”

“Perfect.” He glanced around to spot Cary, picking up his hand to press fingers into his mouth and whistle loudly. The other man shot him a look that clearly stated he didn’t much appreciate being treated like a dog before he walked back over to them. “Let’s go get some dinner my friend. Melanie’s going to join us.”

Cary struggled to contain his surprise that Oliver’s advances seemed to have done the trick, but he nodded, leading them off to the car. If there was one thing Oliver Bird was capable of doing so far, it was surprising him. He had no doubt that for the rest of their friendship the other scientist would continue to do the same.

—

“So, Melanie.” It was clear halfway through the meal that he really enjoyed saying her name. Fork mid-mashed potatoes, Melanie found herself looking up at him instead of lifting it to her mouth. “Do you work? What do you do?”

Spinning said for a moment, she chuckled softly. “No, not yet. I’m finishing up college and next year I’ll be heading to med-school.” She informed him, chest puffed a little with pride. Most men didn’t think women had any business working outside the home, still, even in this day and age, and she loved nothing more than to show she was worth so much more than that.

Oliver, however, hardly batted an eye. “That’s ambitious,” He began, taking a bite of his rib-eye before he looked at her again, grinning to himself. “I definitely could tell you were ambitious. What field of medicine?”

“I haven’t really decided that far yet. Pharmacology maybe, psychiatry? Definitely not surgery. I want to be a doctor but I still want to have a life, too. I like getting outside too much to go into surgery.” A pause as she took a bite of her food and chewed, and then she looked up at him. “What do you do, apart from picking up women at music festivals?”

“Absolutely nothing,” He replied quickly, looking entirely serious. Grabbed his glass to take a sip as he watched her over the rim. “Kidding. But you’ll find out eventually. Wouldn’t want to spoil everything on the first date now, would I?”

“Oh, is this a date?” She chuckled softly, pointing at Cary with her fork. “Do you normally drag your poor friends along on your dates? Because if so, you should be paying this guy.” Cary’s expression brightened from boredom to amusement, and Melanie winked playfully in his direction, earning a surprised little glance from Oliver.

“Yes, of course it’s a date. You can’t force chemistry like this, and thus, you cannot pass it up when you find it. It would have been rude to send him home hungry since he helped me get you to come along.” He shrugged, but he couldn’t shake his smile if he tried. “My question is, how long will I have to wait for the next date?”

Melanie considered that question carefully, another bite of her food, a sip of her water and she thought about what her mother would say about him. What her friends would think? How she was going to date anybody and focus on her studies?

Hell, he was right, it felt natural. She really liked him. So making the effort, she hoped, would be well worth it. “I’m free on Friday.”

The pause had left him wondering, actually, it had left him nervous. His smile had slipped ever so slightly, and then, when she told him that, it had grown by double. “Friday. I will clear my whole day for you. Whatever you’d like to do, we’ll do it.”

“The whole day won’t be necessary. Besides, I’ll need time to dress up.” She teased softly, thinking about it a brief moment before she smiled across the table at him. “We’ll go out that evening, dancing I like to go dance.”

She could have asked to go pet elephants in India and he would have made it happen at that point. The fact that she wanted to do something he himself was so fond of was just icing on the cake. Nodding, he waved the waitress over to pay the check, grabbing a clean napkin and a pen from his pocket to collect Melanie’s phone number in the mean time. “Then dance we shall. I’ll take you to one of my favorite places.”

Taking the pen, she wrote her name neatly in cursive before writing out the digits to the number underneath, making sure everything was legible so no mistakes were made. Once she was finished, she slid the paper back over to him, offering a small little smile that did not betray how excited she was for the coming weekend. “I can’t wait.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Cary whisk Melanie away to ask her for a favor.

The slicing sound of ice skates rarely ever was obvious to Melanie anymore. She had been on the ice since she had been five years old, initially purely because of Joyce Pugh’s insistence. Any little girl that age would be happy to become those graceful ladies they saw skate in the Olympics, she didn’t feel forced in the beginning. Come adolescence, and the influx of hormones and free will, and rebellion knocked at the door. The woman had had to drag her for a year straight to practice and Melanie had initially performed poorly on purpose.

She had only come back around in her mid to late teens. Taking practice more seriously, working hard to go compete and placing well. She had a natural grace, strength. Taller than most girls her age, she was swanlike. Once she started college and knew she was going to follow through with medical school, she abandoned anyone’s dream that she might skate professionally. However, she continued to train, to practice. No matter how hectic her school schedule was or who wanted to go do something with her, she made a point to make time to go skate.

That was where she was that day when Oliver and Cary walked into the skating arena. Already on the ice, and gliding around the rink, the two men paused behind the safety glass. Oliver’s eyes never left her form as she pushed herself off to one side of the oval, turning slightly to send herself into a jump (a lutz, he would later learn, but at the time he had no prior knowledge of any skating terminology). It was only after she landed and caught herself, swooshing along closer to them that she noticed them there. Flushed from the movement and the cold, she slowed her momentum and slid over to the opening leading out onto the ice, grabbing onto the wall as she stopped and straddled the space between ice and floor.

Oliver moved closer to her, a grin tugging his thick lips as he looked her over in her little outfit, unabashed in his interest. That only made her blush more, and she swallowed past her shyness. “How did you know I was going to be here?” In the month or so since they had met, she hadn’t mentioned her hobby. This was usually private for her, someplace she could think and not be bound to demands, constraints, the unforgiving schedule she kept. Grades, dates, friends, Joyce, it was all gone as soon as she laced her skates.

“I spoke with your mother,” He told her casually, leaning against the wall with his hip, hazel eyes meeting her blue. “Told her I was from the University, and she said you spend your night here every Tuesday and Friday, and sometimes Sunday mornings.” His grin was mischievous, and despite being thrown for a loop, Melanie couldn’t help a small smile as she ducked her gaze a moment. “By the way, should she ask, you’re going to be entering a paid internship. So, your Friday evenings will no longer be for skating.”

“Oh, what? I can’t go out with you every single Friday. I love coming here. I need the break…”

“Relax, Melanie.” He reached out to brush his finger over the chilly, pink tip of her nose. “Relax. I wasn’t going to demand as such, you can still skate every single Friday, as a matter of fact but I was hoping for your…input. If you’re finished for the afternoon, go on and get dressed. I want to show you something.” His tongue darted to wet his lips, eyes sparkling with a secret. “But if not, Cary and I will wait. He was rather excited about the popcorn when we came in…”

“Are you going to tell me anything about what you’d like my input for?” She asked, arms crossing a little, trying to look completely serious, but unable to hide the twitched at the corner of her mouth. That made him laugh out loud, unable to take her seriously, standing there looking at him like that.

“No, I’m going to make you anticipate it, darling. I want to watch you squirm the whole car ride. It’s going to be a bit lengthy, I’m afraid.” Grabbing her hand, he lifted it slowly to his lips, eyes locked on hers until he pressed them against the back, lingering for a moment as they looked at one another.

Melanie found that her mouth was suddenly very dry.

Clearing her throat, she nodded quickly, withdrawing her hand slowly, reluctantly. “I’ll uh, I’ll just be a few minutes. Go ahead and get Cary some of that popcorn, it’s really good.” She teased, winking over at the other man in the glasses before swooshing back onto the ice, cutting across to the other entrance to the rink where the door to the women’s locker room was very near. Oliver’s eyes never left her path until she disappeared inside and with a chuckle, he went and did as she asked, sitting down with his friend once he had acquired said popcorn.

It was less than ten minutes before Melanie returned, dressed in blue jeans and a blouse, a duffle bag in one hand and her skates in the other. She looked between them for a moment once she was near enough to speak to them, a smile breaking across her features that turned into a throaty little laugh. “I was only joking…I thought you were joking.”

“Well you weren’t joking about how good it is,” Oliver mused, sticking a couple kernels into his mouth as he looked at her. Cary was chewing, but promptly swallowed. “Popcorn is one of mankind’s greatest discoveries, next to penicillin. I have quite a penchant for it.”

“That’s quite a coincidence, then, that you two found me here, where they sell the gold of the gods.” She laughed a little more, shrugging. “Well, I’m ready whenever you two are.”

“Cary, to the car!” Oliver told him, his voice and tone loud and teasing, winking at the tall blonde and letting Cary head out first before he gestured for her to pass him. Once she did, he followed her outside into the warmth of the summer air. The rink had been gloriously cool, but the car had air conditioning, so they wouldn’t be too terribly uncomfortable during their long trek. He took Melanie’s skates and bag and placed them into the trunk, before he opened the front passenger door for her. She sat after thanking him, and once she was secured inside, he shut the door and moved to the driver’s side.

Making sure everyone was buckled, he turned the ignition and sent them off.

\--

As Melanie stepped out of the black sedan, she stared in amazement at her surroundings. The gravel path led up to a rickety little ranch, with a nice big front porch. The white paint on the steps was peeling, and one of the shutters on the front windows was barely hanging on by a couple of nails. All the same, it was cozy, beautiful. Hidden away from the city and the bustle of man. The path continued down across the front and back along the side, heading to a large barn and stable further back, with an enclosed pen attached.

“Cattle?” She asked, feet crunching in the tiny stones. Oliver’s gaze was focused on her reactions, his lips permanently quirked in a small smile. Melanie glanced to him from her curious glancing around and felt herself blush at the way he watched her.

“Horses.” He corrected finally, turning his head to look back on the property. “They’re all gone now, I’m afraid. We sold the last couple of them last week. It was last week, wasn’t it?”

“Yes, at the auction.” Cary agreed, leaning back against the side of the car.

Her eyes moved to him a moment, then to Oliver and then, she continued. Peaking into the windows of the little house, some furniture still inside. Dusty. It was all charming, but she couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed on Oliver’s behalf at the amount of work it would take to restore it all. She stopped before she crossed the grass to the back barn, turning to him. “This is all very interesting, Oliver, but why bring me here? What could I possibly contribute?”

His smile was different now, she couldn’t quite put a word to it. She had never seen him smile like this, and it wasn’t until a moment later, when he looked to Cary for reassurance, that she realized what that smile indicated.

He was nervous, that made her nervous.

Her hands fell to clasp in front of her, fingers nervously pulling at one another. Oliver cleared his throat. “Melanie,” The word was whispered, almost. He always said her name with reverence. This time he seemed to be searching for something in it. “I want to tear this all down. The house, the outer buildings. I want to tear it all down and build…well, a school here.”

The young woman’s stomach had twisted into a tight knot and she was visibly relieved when his answer was not a very sudden marriage proposal. Swallowing quickly, she glanced around again, at the buildings, at the woods surrounding them. It was…. “…..awfully remote for a school, wouldn’t you say?”

“Well, no. That’s what I want. What we want,” He gestured to Cary, his smile a little warmer. “I have to tell you something, Melanie Pugh. Something you can never tell another soul. In fact, I’m really trusting you with my life here because, were anyone to find out, anyone I wouldn’t want to know. I’d have to leave. I’d have to leave all of this.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

Melanie, I’m not sure how else to tell you this. I’m different from other men. Cary and I both are different.

Blinking, she looked to Cary, who didn’t seem to have heard whatever she was hearing. It was beginning to worry her, as soon as she realized that. Especially since Oliver’s lips were not moving.

Don’t be afraid, Melanie. I would never hurt you, never.

“H-how?” She finally sputtered, fingers having moved to shove her hands into the pockets of her jeans. A warm, gentle breeze was blowing through the trees and her long blonde hair was fluttering in the wind. It made Oliver stand there and stare at her a moment.

“We think it’s genetic. Cary and I. A genetic mutation. There are different ones. His is different. We’ve met others over the years. I don’t like to use the word powers but there really isn’t a better one so, we have powers. Abilities. We’re different. And we want to help other people like us.”

It was insanity. Melanie had heard theories on people speaking with their minds, telepathy, but she had never seen it successfully demonstrated, nor heard any conclusive proof. Yet here he was. Proof. She swallowed hard. “So, is that why you brought me here? You…you think I’m like you? Different?”

His smile grew quite a bit at her question. “No. We’ve noted that the onset of these abilities begins in childhood. If you were like us, you would already know, my dear Melanie.” He stepped closer to her. “I brought you here because I think…that you can help us. We want to build this school and with your training, once you’re finished. I think you can help these students of ours reach their potential and learn control. Learn to cope. That’s our goal, we don’t want to raise a super race to destroy the world, we just want everyone to be able to fit in. Standing out for people like us, that’s a death sentence, you see.”

She didn’t back away. He moved even closer, and she watched him. She was curious, confused, afraid, relieved. So many different emotions but she was pleasantly surprised to realize that her growing attachment to him hadn’t changed at all. He made her laugh, smile, made her feel beautiful and wild and free. Things she had never been able to feel before. “You could have anyone, someone already licensed,” She pointed out, taking a breath when he was only a step away. “Why me?”

“It’s going to take a few years to do all this work,” He said softly, reaching out a hand to run his fingers through her hair. “And in the meantime, while you’re learning about regular humans, you can learn about us too. Mutants, we call ourselves. You’d have an expertise that no other psychiatrist in the world could match, darling girl.”

That made her smile softly, her own hand moving up, fingers tentatively brushing over his cheek. The dark hair of his beard tickled her nerves, and she turned her hand over to brush her knuckles across. “Well. If I can help. I will. I want to. I still don’t know how…”

“That’s something we’re all going to figure out together.” He promised softly, grabbing her hand gently to lift it to her lips, lingering in his kiss against them. “Do you think less of me, now that you know?”

“I think it’s insane, Oliver. But it’s incredible too. There are people who would give anything to be able to do that.”

He chuckled at that, releasing her hand to pull her into a hug. “I have a few other things that I’ve been…testing out. We’ll discover all that in time. Cary is pretty straight forward, though.” Nuzzling into the hug at first, she perked and turned to look at Cary again.

She was going to ask what he could do, when she realized he was no longer alone at the car. A younger, Native American adolescent was sitting next to him. She couldn’t be older than 13 or 14, and she was watching Oliver and Melanie as Cary ate the last of his popcorn.

Oliver turned his head to whisper into her ear. “Cary…has a guest, in his body. They share it. I suppose you could call her his sister, we’ll get into that story another time.” He murmured, kissing her temple gently.

“But she’s….so young. How long has she been….?”

“Always. She only ages when she’s not inside of him. But he’s sure she’s always been there.”

“Incredible.” Awestruck, it took a moment for her to find her footing, sliding her hand into Oliver’s to walk back over to the car. The girl watched her warily, then looked back over at Cary.

“Are you sure about her? She doesn’t look all that smart.”

“Be nice,” He said with a little huff, but his expression never shifted away from tenderness, reaching to ruffle her silky black hair.

“It’s nice to meet you…what’s your name?” Melanie managed to ask, smiling softly.

“Kerry.”

“Your name is Cary, too?”

“No, not the same. K.E.R.R.Y. I’m a girl so not boy Cary.”

“Oh, I see.” She said with a little laugh, leaning close into Oliver, whose arm was now snugly secured around her waist.

“So, are you and Oliver going to get married?” The girl asked, tilting her head, squinting past the sun.

Oliver’s laugh was loud, booming across the open space. “I should be so lucky, Kerry.” He released Melanie to pull the girl to her feet, nodding towards the back. “Go on and run off some steam. We’re going to talk about some boring grown up stuff.”

Melanie watched as she was reduced to a blue or legs and dancing black hair as she took off back towards the barn. Eyes lingered on the girl, envious of her free spirit until she heard Oliver clear is throat and realized he had been trying to speak to her. “Sorry…what?”

“I said let’s go to the guest house. We can show you our plans so far, get your input.” His hand moved to the small of her back to gently lead her toward the opposite side of the main house, leaving the barn out of sight. There was a modest little house in much better shape a few yards away. It was clear as soon as Cary opened the door that they had been using it for a while.

It was bizarre, such an old, tiny place, with Oliver inside. He was so much larger than life. So fond of the finer, more modern amenities in life. This was not a place she would have ever imagined him.

They took her to a table and Oliver pulled out a chair for her to sit before he and Cary sat on either side of her. Plopping down the blueprints they had been working on with a professional architect, they both explained bits and sections to her. Cary was particularly excited to show her the lab he was planning just a short distance into the woods.

Oliver showed her dorms, open spaces, classrooms and then offices. One for Cary despite his detached lab, one for Oliver and….one for Melanie. Surprised that it was already on there, she looked to Oliver only to find he was watching her with avid interest. As their eyes met, she swallowed quickly, smiling softly at him, running a hand over the paper. “We should uh, we should have some fun spaces. Maybe a pool or something, just so they don’t feel like it’s a prison with classes.”

“I thought a pool too,” Oliver admitted, leaning to look. “A library perhaps, I was thinking of getting projection equipment to install in the cafeteria. The tables can be moved, and chairs rearranged and then everyone can watch films. We can do presentations there too…”

A nod, and she looked over the outside area. “Gardens perhaps. Some kind of gardens. People can walk through them, or work in them if they like.” She paused and looked at him. “Speaking of work, it’s gonna be a pretty big facility. Will you be hiring caretakers?”

“I haven’t really decided. Privacy, confidentiality, that’s a big deal. Anyone who works within the facility will have to live there as well. I would prefer for them to be like us. I suppose we could all decide on a case by case basis.”

“Hmmm.” She nodded again, fingers gently caressing over the blueprint. “My mother hasn’t been wild about my becoming a doctor. She’d be less wild about my becoming one and then using my skills in such a limited capacity.” His face fell visibly at those words and she looked to him again. “So I’m personally very keen to see this through.”

Expression lifting again, he nodded, fingers brushing over hers on top of the paper. “I think we could do great things together, the three of us. I think we were meant to find you when we did, Melanie.”

That made her laugh nervously, dropping his gaze a moment, before she sucked in a shaky breath. “Well. I guess we’ll see, in time.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been two years since Oliver first showed Melanie his little plot of land, a lot is changing in their lives.

-Three-

Air conditioning was such a treat.

Growing up in the middle of nowhere, Melanie had seldom experienced it until she had left for college. The fact that Summerland was equipped with it was truly the icing on the cake for her. Two years on from her initial introduction to the parcel she was constantly astonished by the way it was developing. The facility was finished, but the grounds were still under construction. A little dock being built on the lake, and of course, the gardens that Melanie had suggested. Just outside her office window the first crop ever was coming up in the bright summer sun.

Sunflowers. When the air was off and the window cracked, they smelled heavenly.

Melanie’s thoughts remained on the sweet fragrance despite the window, in fact, being shut with the air blowing. She was stuck in that train of thought for a long moment, the end of her pen pressed to her lips before she heard the quick, steady rapping of knuckles on the door. Clearing her throat, she shifted her hands to at least look like she had been writing but in fact, there were only a few words on the sheet in front of her.

“Come in.”

The door swung inward and revealed her benefactor, in a cream-colored suit with a boyish smile on his face. Now she really wasn’t going to get anything done! Sitting up ever so slightly, she beamed at him, the picture of a girl in a magazine with a piece of cake or something equally rich that she clearly wasn’t going to eat when the camera was done.

Oliver, however, didn’t presume to be so safe.

“You look like you’re keeping cool. It’s a scorcher out there,” he mused, shutting the door behind him. “I wish I could say the same but alas, seeing you here looking this beautiful, I’m positively engulfed in flame.”

Her laughter carried across the room and she shifted to get up, but he held up a finger to signal she stay where she was. Her left eyebrow quirked with curiosity, and her fingers drummed anxiously over the top of her knee out of his sight. “Oliver, what are you doing?”

Oliver moved to the side of her desk, carefully perching himself on the edge, his hand moving to reach out and gently run his fingertips along the curve of her jaw. “I just want to look at you for another moment. You are so exquisitely beautiful.”

Her skin both tingled and burned at his touch, cheeks igniting to a bright pink, and for the briefest moment she cast her gaze down. Melanie Pugh, the plain little girl whose mother’s grip on her hand left nail marks well into her teens. Melanie who still, even now in her twenties had never known a more potent touch than this gentle brush of his fingers. Finally, Melanie looked up at him again, playfulness shining in crystalline eyes.

“Well, that’s very sweet. Have you had your fill?”

Oliver smiled with a little twinkle in his own eye, didn’t lower his hand for a long moment before finally he let it drop to his side. “Never, I couldn’t come close.” His smile softened as he looked her over. “Anyway, the point of my visit, really, is to ask you to a moonlit picnic with me tonight.”

“That sounds rather lovely,” She chimed, setting her elbows on the desk and propping her chin into her hands. “And where will this moonlit picnic take place?”

“Ah, my dear, that, I’m afraid, is a secret.” His hand raised, pressing his finger to his lips to indicate he wasn’t going to spill that. “However, you may meet me in the foyer at 8 o’clock and I will escort you there.”

“How mysterious,” came her silky reply. She picked herself back up straight again. “And what does one wear to a moonlit picnic?”

His laughter made every empty place in her soul fill with warm light. “You can wear whatever you like, in fact, you don’t need to change if you would like to wear that.”

“I do like this dress,” she purred, running her hands down the skirt. The fabric was a robin’s egg blue, smooth, but clear of any sort of print. Tilting her head as she looked him over. “Were we celebrating anything in particular this evening? Or was this just another one of your whims?”

Oliver feigned hurt, a hand pressed to his breast. “One of my whims? What on earth are you implying, Dr. Pugh?”

Melanie laughed a little and stood from her chair to lean close to him, noses just an inch or so away from one another, a smile curving her lips. “There’s no implication, you’re just very whimsical.”

His own smile softened, dark eyes meeting hers, and Oliver leaned just a hair closer. “I take that as a compliment,” He told her before pressing the softest of kisses to her mouth. She might have responded but she was immediately taken with the warm softness she found refuge in, hands moving to cup his face, fingers sliding into his hair.

The kiss deepened slightly, and she allowed him to peel her lips apart so that they surrounded his bottom lip, tugging gently as soon as she realized, but the kiss nearly broke as she smiled into him. He made her feel so free. She never wanted these little moments to end.

To her great surprise, it was Oliver that ended this kiss. Brushing his fingertip over the tip of her nose. “Enough for now. More of that later. You were busy when I came in.”

“I was daydreaming when you came in,” She whined, smiling, keeping him in her hands to keep him close. “About you. And the sunflowers.”

That drew a hearty chuckle from deep in his chest. “Always with the sunflowers. I think you are a sunflower, you know.” He made no move to pull away from Melanie, nuzzling into the warmth of her hands. Shaking his head around to get maximum Melanie coverage.

Chuckling she drew him in to peck his lips. “Perhaps I was in another life. Would that be such a bad thing?”

“I couldn’t imagine a sunflower more lovely, my darling.” Oliver murmured, reaching to cup the softness of her cheek into his hand. He caressed gently with his thumb, smiling as he gazed at her. “You will come, tonight? You promise?”

She sucked in a breath, feigning indecisiveness. “Maybe, I dunno. I might have a big date with my other gentleman caller.”

His eyes were full of mischief and amusement, and he leaned close to whisper to her. “Tell him to fuck off, you’ve got plans.”

Melanie grinned at that, running her fingers through his hair. “Well how can I even say no to that?” Fingers continued to gently massage, gently pressing into his scalp. She whispered, “Okay, I’ll tell him to fuck off.”

“That’s my girl,” Oliver purred softly, drawing her in for another little kiss. “Are you just doing your paperwork, or do you have any harder work for the rest of the afternoon?”

She sighed a little, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t think I can focus on anything more than the paperwork at this point.” She brushed a stray strand of hair from his temple. “What about you? Are you going to be making your rounds, or just setting up this ultra-secret outing for us?”

“Oh, my entire focus will be on this evening, to be sure. While I would love to spend some time with our charges, I feel a rather desperate need to make this evening as memorable as I possibly can.”

“Desperate?” She laughed, shaking her head. “That seems a bit melodramatic, Oliver. You don’t need to go to those kinds of lengths for me.” Her hand gestured grandly so he knew exactly how silly he sounded; but in reality, he didn’t need a reminder.

He clucked his tongue at the notion, motioning all around them. “Everything I do is to please you, you ought to know that by now.” He ran his fingers through her hair, letting the strands wisp through. “I adore you so.”

She tilted her head, letting her hair fall against his hand. “That’s a cowardly way to tell me you love me.” She teased, sticking her tongue out playfully.

That drew a sheepish little laugh from Oliver, and he nodded, pressing their noses together. “But you know that I do.” His fingers moved to touch her cheek again. “You must, after all of this.”

“I do, I do.” Melanie said softly, turning her head to kiss his fingertips. His smile in response made her beam. “See? I think we know more about one another than we thought.”

He chuckled again, nodding. “I think you’re right about that.” With a heavy sigh, he withdrew a little, smiling softly. “I should get going before I can’t pull myself away.” There was a regretful twinge to his expression. She might have said something, but she understood why. She hated when moments like this ended, too.

Melanie nodded, releasing him with a sigh. “I guess we had better.” Moving to sit at the desk again, she paused, smiling at him. “I’m excited so I hope you’re not pranking me right now.”  
“I would never do that.”

“Hmmm,” The sound released was full of incredulity, and it made Oliver gasp playfully at her as he backed up toward the door. He never lost his silly grin and that only made her smile more.“I see how lowly you think of me!”

“Now you’re being ridiculous,” She balled up a sheet of paper to chuck at him.

Waving with the tips of his fingers, he ducked to avoid said piece of paper and scurried out the door. 

Shaking her head, she tried to put her pen back to the paper but couldn’t find the concentration. Giving up for the night, she turned off the light and headed out of her office and into the hallway to head up to her room.

On the way down to the dormitory wing she was able to observe some of their charges, rather, the younger ones at play. Melanie enjoyed the little ones, they were the less damaged, giggling as they ran around. The sound of their laughter bounced off the empty spaces and made them feel anything but empty.

Her mind drifted to Oliver, to whatever he might be planning. The last two years had progressed steadily, and he was easily to fall in love with. Charming, handsome, devoted to the cause and devoted to her. It never ceased to amaze her that a man like him wanted anything to do with someone like her, but he saw something in her that she had yet to find in herself. She hoped one day that she would.

Stepping into the elevator, she pressed to go up to the next floor, smiling as Oliver’s voice, or rather, a recording, greeted her. He was everywhere here, and that was another reason it was easy to love him. She never really had to miss him, even when he was gone on business. He had seen to it that no matter where she was, there was some comforting amount of his presence.

It wasn’t quite as good as the real thing, but it definitely helped.

The ding of the doors awoke her from her daydreaming, and she blinked before scoffing at herself and heading out into the hall. The upper level of dormitories was reserved for staff, but their rooms were quite different from the guests. They felt more like real bedrooms, with single beds, a little furniture, privacy. Oliver’s room was far more like a small apartment, or a penthouse suite. Melanie had made a point of not spending too long in there or letting him draw her in too deep. It felt like the Garden of Eden, and she wasn’t sure she was ready to meet the serpent.

Her room was plenty for her, and as she walked into the well-lit space, she sighed in relief. Staff had their own bathrooms, a shower and a toilet, at least. Oliver’s fancier room of course had a luxurious tub and more counter space. But all she really needed was to be able to freshen up and maintain her hygiene.

Melanie made quick work of gathering herself. She debated changing again but decided to stick with this dress. She spent a little while relaxing and enjoying some quiet time until it was just a few minutes until 8 o’clock. Room abandoned, she headed down to the elevator to go back down to the main level. This time she wasn’t quite so distracted, anxious to see what was in store for her that evening and as soon as the doors parted, she got her first glimpse. Oliver was standing there, waiting, in a red jacket. Double breasted with a high collar and two pockets on his chest. She had never seen anything like it.

His hair was carefully combed as ever, his eyes twinkling with mischief. She realized as she was staring at him that she had sucked in her breath and held it, and that made her laugh softly. Licking her lips, she gestured to his outfit. “Wow you look incredible. I feel too ordinary for this now.”

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. “You could look exquisite in a potato sack, Dr. Pugh.” Holding out his hand for her, he waited for her to take it and step out, then lifted it to his mouth with a little smirk. Never pulling his eyes from the alluring oceans that were her eyes.

Melanie blushed instantly, but didn’t draw her hand out of his grasp, opting to enjoy this attention. “You are so sweet. I hope there’s going to be wine at this picnic. If you’re going to be complimenting me the whole time, I’m going to need it.”

Oliver grinned, nodding as he began to lead her to one of the south doors that opened out to the garden. “Not quite wine, but there is some champagne on ice. Do you think that that might take your fancy?”

She made a little o with her lips, then smiled at him. “I guess it will have to do!”

Laughing, Oliver nodded. “I thought you might say that.” He opened the door and held it for her before he joined her on the lawn. There had not been any rain recently, thankfully, and so their shoes weren’t instantly sopping wet from the grass. 

They walked a little way from the building into a more wooded area and there among the trees was a blanket laid out, surrounded by flickering candles. For a moment, Melanie stood there and stared at the scene, then she turned to him with a smile. “This is beautiful. You didn’t have to go to all of this trouble.”

He looked genuinely perplexed. “This was no trouble at all, my darling. It’s the very least I can do for you. You’ve done so much for me.”

“The very least, all you do is nice things for me, don’t be silly,” She said with an exasperated little huff, but she stepped closer, hands smoothing the material of his jacket. “I love you, Oliver. Thank you.”

His smile started out bright but grew softer, eyes looking over her face for a moment, and then he nodded, bending so his breath caressed her face. “I love you too, Melanie.” He murmured before kissing her gently.

It was like the candles ignited fireworks in her chest. She felt like she might soar into the sky as they kissed for several moments, and when they parted, Oliver gently popped her on the tip of her nose with his finger. “Come. The night isn’t anywhere near over.”

He led her to sit, holding her hand until she was safely deposited onto the woven blanket. It was white with some lavender flowers detailing the expanse of it and fringe made of extra thread coming out two of the sides. It seemed far too feminine to belong to him, and she wondered if he had borrowed it from the younger Kerry. She didn’t ask though, making sure she was sitting like a lady (perhaps pants would have been a better option after all). When he joined her, he picked up a little ice bucket with the champagne he had told her he had.

“Ah yes, glasses.” Setting the bottle down temporarily, he found the glasses he had wrapped up in cloth to keep safe and handed one to her. Then he made quick and easy work of the cork, immediately pouring the misting alcohol into her glass first, and then his own. Once finished, he set the bottle back into the ice and held his glass up to Melanie.

“To Summerland. To us. To our wonderful, brave, glorious future.”

Melanie couldn’t help but laugh softly, his enthusiasm was admirable. “To everything, yes.” Clinking her glass to his, she lifted it to her lips to take a long sip, delighting in the tangy taste and the burn of the bubbles. Oliver watched her for a moment as he sipped his own, then he moved to his little basket to remove a cling-wrapped cheese board.

“Here we are, you might have to help me. I’m afraid my fingers may be too thick to get this cellophane by myself,” he muttered, trying to pick at one corner, already hopeless.

Melanie chuckled and handed him her glass. “I’ve got it, here. You hold that for a moment.” He obliged her happily, watching her fingers quickly pick up the plastic until she could easily peel it off in one sheet. Setting it aside, she took her glass back, offering him the little tray of meat and cheese. “There you go.”

“What an angel, you are.” The words purred like some flirtatious cat in a cartoon. It almost made Melanie laugh, but then he lifted a hand to gently brush his fingers through the ends of her hair, his expression soft, and warm, accented by the light from the candles. She couldn’t think of what to say in response now, instead just watched him as his hand shifted to brush his fingertips along the curve of her cheek. “You know, I find myself more and more thinking that I cannot bring myself to live without you.”

Finally, with a little smile, she shook her head. “You don’t need to worry about that. I’m happy here, working. With you.”

“Oh, my darling, I have no doubt. I see the joy in you when you’re with our charges. I see the way doing this good work uplifts your soul. And I see that joy in your eyes right now, with us together like this.” His palm settled against her face, holding her there to look at him. “I have not been . . . a celibate man. And I’ve never attempted to hide that. Most of the time you meet someone, you have your fun and you go your separate ways. But I’ve found with you, I don’t want you to ever be apart from me.”

Her breath stilled in her throat as she listened to him, and she glanced around at all the hoopla that he had gone through again. This felt dangerously like something she had not at all expected. A suddenly dry mouth meant she had to lick her lips and she needed a solid minute more to herself to find her voice again. “Oliver, I don’t know what . . . you’re trying to say.”

At least, she didn’t dare say what she thought out loud.

Oliver’s smile was sweeter than ever before as he watched her, eyes darting to her mouth at the tiny swipe of her tongue over her lips. Bright pink, almost like a piece of bubblegum and suddenly his own mouth watered. “I’m saying, Melanie, that I’m a king here. And this is my kingdom.” His nose brushed against hers as he drew nearer. “And I need a queen.” He could barely finish speaking before his mouth closed in on hers, eyes sliding shut as their lips melded into one form. Melanie was always soft, pliant, usually very eager and very fast. Tonight was no exception. He felt her open up to him like a blooming flower and she pressed close to him, her tiny hands moving up into the hair at the nape of his neck, teasing.

He pulled back just enough to speak with a little grumble, looking at her through his lashes, eyelids heavy as he battled the ever-growing waves of desire. “You have to say it,” He murmured, seeing her eyebrow lift in confusion, smiling softly. “You have to say that you’ll marry me.”

For the briefest moment her eyes widened, and she looked at him in surprise. Normally something like this would be a prolonged decision to make. She decided in that moment, to make it quickly. Live wildly, Melanie, it hasn’t served you poorly since he brought you here. “All right, Oliver. I’ll marry you,” she breathed against his lips before stealing the next kiss. Oliver made a happy little noise and deepened it, and before either really knew what was happening, she was falling back onto the blanket with him moving to lay over her.

Melanie ran her hands through his hair, careless of how she’d muss it. Oliver moved his mouth from hers, nibbling kisses down along her jaw, and from there to her neck. Gasping for her breath, she tipped her head back to allow him access. He sucked softly above her pulse before picking his head up to look at her, reaching to brush some hair from her forehead. “I’m going to take a shot in the dark and assume you’d like to stop.”

Laughing, she reached to touch his cheek. “I trust you.” A slight hesitation, then she sat up a little to pull him back over. He murmured into a new kiss, melting against her. Hands shifted to come down her sides, lightly trailing along the edge of her breasts. Just as soon as he was going to peel her skirt up from her knees, Cary’s voice sounded from the trees. 

Oliver nearly jumped out of his skin, and they both sat up in a hurry. Melanie red as a tomato and Oliver breathless and alarmed, his eyes wide. As the elder Loudermilk approached, he glanced between them both, then smiled sheepishly at Oliver. “Uh. Telephone call for you. And I know you wanted them held but this is urgent. Hello, Mel.”

“Hi, Cary,” she said with a sigh, looking to Oliver as he looked to her. He offered a little smile and she nodded. “Go on, I’ll be here when you get back.”

“I won’t be long!” he promised, shifting to kiss her cheek before he got up from the picnic to follow Cary back indoors. Melanie dropped onto her back again with a sigh, gazing up at the stars, feeling her heart pound in her chest. Had she really just gotten engaged? Had she and Oliver really been that close to making love after two whole years?

She chuckled to herself, running her hands down her face. She supposed time would tell.

**Author's Note:**

> This is all based on headcanon that I developed with my beta, Ash. Who is the best Ashfriend in the galaxy. :*. Please feel free to leave any comments, I love feedback!
> 
> The rating will almost certainly go up and any necessary tags will be added when the need arises.


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